The Underground Railroad eBook

trouble in the State; but we have the military here,
and if they can keep Georgia out of the Union about
a year or two longer, and the colored people continue
to live as they have been doing, from what I hear,
perhaps these rebels will learn a little more
sense. I have been in Atlanta for some time,
but did not stay until the Legislature was organized;
but I was there when colored members returned
and took their seats. It was rather a stormy
time in the House; but no blood was shed. Since
then there has been some ‘sticking;’
but I don’t think any of the colored ones
were in it.”

In the neighborhood of Eufaula, Ala., in December,
1870, Mrs. Harper did a good work, as may be seen
from the following extract taken from a letter, dated
December 9th:

“Last evening I visited one of
the plantations, and had an interesting time.
Oh, how warm was the welcome! I went out near
dark, and between that time and attending my lecture,
I was out to supper in two homes. The people
are living in the old cabins of slavery; some
of them have no windows, at all, that I see; in fact,
I don’t remember of having seen a pane of window-glass
in the settlement. But, humble as their homes
were, I was kindly treated, and well received;
and what a chance one has for observation among
these people, if one takes with her a manner that
unlocks other hearts. I had quite a little gathering,
after less, perhaps, than a day’s notice;
the minister did not know that I was coming, till
he met me in the afternoon. There was no fire
in the church, and so they lit fires outside, and we
gathered, or at least a number of us, around the
fire. To-night I am going over to Georgia
to lecture. In consequence of the low price
of cotton, the people may not be able to pay much,
and I am giving all my lectures free. You
speak of things looking dark in the South; there
is no trouble here that I know of—­cotton
is low, but the people do not seem to be particularly
depressed about it; this emigration question has
been on the carpet, and I do not wonder if some
of them, with their limited knowledge, lose hope
in seeing full justice done to them, among their life-long
oppressors; Congress has been agitating the St. Domingo
question; a legitimate theme for discussion, and one
that comes nearer home, is how they can give more
security and strength to the government which
we have established in the South—­for
there has been a miserable weakness in the security
to human life. The man with whom I stopped,
had a son who married a white woman, or girl,
and was shot down, and there was, as I understand,
no investigation by the jury; and a number of
cases have occurred of murders, for which the punishment
has been very lax, or not at all, and, it may
be, never will be; however, I rather think things
are somewhat quieter. A few days ago a shameful
outrage occurred at this place—­some men
had been out fox hunting, and came to the door
of a colored woman and demanded entrance, making